Infraorbital foramen

In human anatomy, the infraorbital foramen is an opening in the maxillary bone of the skull located below the infraorbital margin of the orbit. It transmits the infraorbital artery and vein, and the infraorbital nerve, a branch of the maxillary nerve. It is typically 6.10 to 10.9 mm (0.240 to 0.429 in) from the infraorbital margin. Forming the exterior end of the infraorbital canal, the infraorbital foramen communicates with the infraorbital groove, the canal's opening on the interior side.

The ramifications of the three principal branches of the trigeminal nerve—at the supraorbital, infraorbital, and mental foramina—are distributed on a vertical line (in anterior view) passing through the middle of the pupil. The infraorbital foramina is used as a pressure point to test the sensitivity of the infraorbital nerve. Palpation of the infraorbital foramen during an extraoral examination or an administration of a local anesthetic agent will cause soreness to the area.